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February 8, 2011

San Francisco High School Senior Class Gets Tested for HIV

The entire 80-person senior class of San Francisco’s private Urban High School is getting tested for HIV, The Wall Street Journal reports. This appears to be the nation’s first such group test for the virus by a high school class. Oliver Hamilton, a student at the school, proposed the project after working with a doctor who treated people with HIV. Seniors will be tested for HIV during breaks in their schedules by adult volunteers using donated mouth swab tests. Hamilton hopes that building up peer expectations will drive up participation and help serve a public health goal. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that only 13 percent of high school students have been tested for HIV even though almost 50 percent of them have had sexual intercourse.

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